


Meet Cat

by Burgie



Series: SSO Harry Potter AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 17:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13323183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: While lost and alone in Diagon Alley, Louisa finds a friend. Also a cat.





	Meet Cat

Despite the noise and the crowds and the smells of Diagon Alley, Louisa Mcburg felt very lost and very alone as she stood in the middle of the cobblestone street. She was just glad that thanks to the crowds, there were no carriages. Or cars, but cars were rare in the wizarding world, so she hadn’t expected to see any here. A few people whizzed by on broomsticks, but there were no collisions. It still made Louisa jump every time one got near her, though.

Taking a deep breath, Louisa looked down at her shopping list again. It had arrived with her letter by owl, and she still remembered the terrifying yet exhilarating moment when she’d discovered that she was invited to attend Hogwarts. Her parents had been more confused than anyone, both being muggles, but her aunt had whisked her away to Gringotts in order to take out enough money for her belongings and then enough to last her through the entire school year. Louisa had hugged her aunt gratefully before leaving the bank.

Unfortunately, her aunt, for all her magical knowledge, had become quite overwhelmed upon setting foot in Diagon Alley, and Louisa had lost her in the crowd within seconds. So now she stood here, lost, and feeling hotter under the collar with every second that passed. She just had to take deep breaths, calm herself down, and take in things one at a time. 

As she walked through Diagon Alley, Louisa saw stores selling a great manner of things. She saw a bookstore that she had to resist the strong urge to go into, and laughed as a dark-skinned girl with large, round glasses walked through the door into the shop with a dazed look on her face. A blonde girl with a beanie pulled down tight over her ears stood in front of a store selling broomsticks, gazing up longingly at a magnificent broom that was advertised as the best out there. From the look of her clothing, the shirt too baggy with a ripped collar and the trousers also too baggy with frayed cuffs where she’d been walking on them, the girl wouldn’t be able to afford anything but the cheapest broom. But she still looked, and Louisa had to resist the urge to offer her money. She was in a new place, after all, one much bigger than the small town she’d grown up in, and if she flashed her money around, she’d risk being mugged. And then there was a pretty blonde girl cooing over wands in a wand store, which Louisa quickly backed out of because of the large crowd inside.

Her heart was still racing when the caterwauling coming from a nearby alleyway almost caused her to jump out of her skin. For all her lessons on street smarts, Louisa still hadn’t managed to shake the need to run to the aid of any animal in danger. Especially not when it was a cat. So, ignoring the crowds on the streets or the stink wafting from the alley, Louisa dashed down the alleyway, her feet almost sliding out from under her on the rather slimy cobblestones. Up the end of the alley, she could see a large orange shape fluffed up quite menacingly, and a smaller brown shape cowering in front of it. Both cats’ tails were lashing, and Louisa quickly looked around for something to distract the bigger cat with. If only there was a hose nearby.

Finally, Louisa found an old tin can on a garbage bin, and tossed it. It bounced and clattered off of the cobblestones, and the ginger cat yowled in fright and took off while the smaller brown tabby lay pinned against the wall, eyes wide and ears flat. Louisa walked slowly towards the frightened creature, her hands out.

“It’s okay,” said Louisa gently, crouching down once she reached the cat. The cobblestones smeared filth onto her jeans immediately, but she didn’t mind. “Come on.” The cat watched her warily, but, when Louisa held a hand out, it slowly stood and walked towards her. She grinned as the cat butted its head against her open palm, a soft purr rumbling from its chest. “There we go, you’re safe now.”

Louisa didn’t turn at the sound of footsteps coming down the alleyway, but she did notice when the cat she held tensed and puffed up again, growling. Only then did she turn around, keeping the cat held safely in her grip.

“Oh,” said Louisa when she saw the girl standing in front of her. The girl’s red hair was almost as fluffy as the struggling cat she held in her arms.

“I see Tom has been up to his old tricks,” said the redhead. Louisa couldn’t speak for a moment, tongue-tied at coming face-to-face with a stranger. “Did he have your cat bailed up against the wall?”

“Oh, this isn’t my cat,” said Louisa. “I think it’s just a stray.” The cat, disagreeing with her, buried its head in her shoulder, probably trying to hide from the large ginger monster.

“Really?” asked the redhead, raising an eyebrow. Louisa was amazed by how green her eyes were. “Looks like it’s your cat now.”

“I-I guess it is,” said Louisa, smiling down at the frightened animal. “You should probably keep your cat in a cage, especially if he’s violent.”

“I think he’s just uncomfortable ‘cus of the crowds,” said the redhead.

“I can relate,” said Louisa with a laugh. The redhead smiled.

“I’m Lisa,” said the girl. “I’d shake your hand only both of them are currently full of fluffy kitty butt.” Louisa giggled.

“I’m Louisa,” said Louisa. “It’s nice to meet you, Lisa. And Tom.”

“Heh, I bet your cat can’t say the same,” said Lisa.

“Yeah,” said Louisa. “Hey, do you happen to know if the pet store here sells cat carriers? I’d feel more comfortable with the cats both inside their own cages. Just so they don’t get lost, and because I know that we’ll have to carry a lot more stuff. Wizards don’t have magical shopping bags with unlimited space, do they?”

“I dunno,” said Lisa with a shrug. “My mum was the witch, and my dad’s a muggle.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” said Louisa, her skin suddenly feeling numb in panic.

“My bad, I probably shouldn’t mention the dead parent thing as soon as I meet a new person,” said Lisa. “Anyway, you look as lost and frightened as your new kitty companion, are you a mudblood too?”

“What’s a mudblood?” asked Louisa, feeling the crushing wave of panic threatening to crash down on her. She reminded herself to breathe, and soon found the feeling returning to her fingertips. The cat felt very sweaty, though.

“When one or both of your parents are muggles,” said Lisa. “I have no idea what I’m doing either, don’t worry. We can be lost and frightened together.” She grinned, and Louisa felt the crushing weight on her chest lift just a little.

“At least I’ll have someone who can talk to the shop owners for me,” said Louisa, following Lisa out of the alley. The crowd didn’t seem so crushing anymore, not with Lisa walking near her (but not too near, so as not to frighten Louisa’s new cat with Mr Big and Floofy).


End file.
